Świdermajer and pines

The town hidden among woods on the Świder River gained its present shape in the second half of 19th century, when the Vistula River Railroad reached it. A mild microclimate with a large number of sunny days and the therapeutic properties of pine forests decided about the establishment of a fashionable spa and a summer resort. A well-known illustrator Michael Elwiro Andriolli was one of numerous fans of Otwock. First villas for vacationers were built by him on the Świder River in 1880, and he drew inspiration from the resort architecture of Alps and the Black Forest and Russian dachas. The distinctive style of wooden, richly decorated buildings is sometimes jokingly referred to as ‘Świdermajer’ (play on words Biedermeier and Świder). The most interesting examples of this type of buildings can be seen in the District Świder, especially at ul. Kołłątaja and ul. Mickiewicza streets.

On the southern outskirts of the town in the District Soplicowo is the Museum of the Otwock Land. The collection includes old photographs presenting the town years ago. What is also noteworthy are the ethnographic collection and the rich collection of Judaica.
After visiting the museum you can visit the nearby Jewish cemetery hidden in the forest. Before the war it was the Jews who constituted three quarters of the permanent residents of the town and most of the vacationers. The Otwock Ghetto established in 1940 was liquidated two years later. The cemetery is one the few reminders of the Jewish community. It is worth noting that many of the inscriptions on tombstones were inscribed in Polish.

Muzeum Ziemi Otwockiej (Museum of Otwock Land)
ul. Narutowicza 2, phone: (22) 788-15-45
www.muzeum.ock.com.pl